AP photoCliff Harris is maturing and expanding his role - just in case.

EUGENE – One of the story lines of Oregon’s spring has been the maturation of cornerback and punt returner Cliff Harris.

Most coaches and players have noticed a difference in Harris’ attitude and demeanor and overall maturity level over the past few weeks.

“He’s not even the same guy he was a year ago, let alone two years ago,’’ special teams coach Tom Osborne said.

Secondary coach John Neal said Harris has grown so much “between the ears’’ that he has experimented at times this spring with playing Harris at free safety.

“I’m always looking for what-ifs,’’ Neal said. “Either in nickel or dime situations or, what if a proven starter goes down, then what are my options? A guy like Cliff is such a natural football player – anywhere you put him, he’s a good player. I’ve been playing him a little bit at free safety just to get him comfortable there, just in case something goes wrong.’’

Neal did the same thing with former Oregon defensive back Jackie Bates, who latched on with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs in part because of his ability to play both corner and safety.

The misunderstood part about Harris – other than the infamous “little brother’’ comment about Oregon State – is that his immaturity was detrimental to the team.

“Cliff’s a natural leader and always has been – that’s why he’s such a great teammate,’’ said Neal, who describes Harris as very coachable and, of course, confident. “A lot of people think he’s flamboyant and this and that, but he’s truly a team leader. Real confidence is pretty rare, and that guy has it, that guy has it.’’

Line matures, too: Offensive lineman Carson York said he believes the communication has improved on his unit through the spring, as the linemen gets used to playing alongside new people. As for concern about the line, York has none.

“No, I don’t think there’s ever any concern for any group,’’ York said. “I don’t think there’s any concern until something happens.’’

Oregon coach Chip Kelly was asked whether he believed the offense felt any pressure after being manhandled in the first two spring scrimmages.

“Pressure is what you feel when you don’t know what you’re doing,’’ Kelly said. “So I hope they don’t feel pressure.’’

Draft Days: Like many of his teammates, York will be watching the NFL Draft over the next couple of days. Some former linemates – Jordan Holmes, Bo Thran and C.E. Kaiser – will be hoping to get a call in the late rounds.

“There’s a lot of guys in that boat,’’ York said. “The tough thing is right now that if you don’t get picked up in the late rounds, you can’t get signed as a free agent until they sign a deal. They can kind of get stuck in limbo.

“They’ll have to decide whether to move on to their careers and start losing weight or hold out on it. They really hope they get picked up so they don’t have to live in that limbo for the next few months.’’

Holmes has at least one opportunity to become a graduate assistant. All players in that boat need some sort of Plan B, given the labor unrest in the NFL.